Having a board certified doctor matters

Good health depends on great health care. Nine in 10 people surveyed (93%) agreed that board certification is important when choosing a doctor, according to a 2025 survey* of more than 1,500 U.S. adults conducted by the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago. Four in five (81%) agreed that board certified doctors provide higher-quality care and have more expertise.

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U.S. adults surveyed want their doctors to stay up to date. Respondents …

98

expect their doctors to keep current with the latest medical advances 

95

expect their doctors to participate in ongoing education

93

say doctors should be required to demonstrate knowledge is up to date

90

say doctors should be regularly tested on knowledge

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Doctors who meet requirements of American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) Member Boards achieve the gold standard in board certification.

More than one million physicians are board certified by one or more of the 24 ABMS Member Boards, which require them to periodically pass a test of current knowledge and skills.

Patients deserve the highest quality of care from their physicians, hospitals, and health systems.

Research suggests that continuing medical education (CME) alone is not enough. 90% of survey respondents say physicians should be evaluated periodically in their specialty beyond earning CME credits.

Research across seven out of 24 ABMS Member Boards shows that physicians performing well in continuing certification have lower incident rates of disciplinary actions by state medical licensing boards.

Not all board certifications are created equally. Learn what makes ABMS different.

SEE THE DIFFERENCE

Collectively, studies of doctors in certain specialties suggest that those ABMS board certified physicians who perform well on continuing certification examinations are more likely to:

  • Provide care resulting in positive patient outcomes, such as better adherence to clinical guidelines
  • Engage in safer prescribing practices
  • Demonstrate the accelerated uptake of new evidence
  • Provide more efficient and more accurate diagnoses

Stay up to date with trends in ABMS board certification. Read ABMS Insights.

Talk to ABMS about board certification.

Connect with our team and find out more about the importance of board certification through one of the 24 ABMS Member Boards.

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The 24 Member Boards of
the American Board of Medical Specialties

  • American Board of Allergy and Immunology
  • American Board of Anesthesiology
  • American Board of Colon and Rectal Surgery
  • American Board of Dermatology
  • American Board of Emergency Medicine
  • American Board of Family Medicine
  • American Board of Internal Medicine
  • American Board of Medical Genetics and Genomics
  • American Board of Neurological Surgery
  • American Board of Nuclear Medicine
  • American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology
  • American Board of Ophthalmology
  • American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery
  • American Board of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery
  • American Board of Pathology
  • American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology
  • American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
  • American Board of Plastic Surgery
  • American Board of Preventive Medicine
  • American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology
  • American Board of Radiology
  • American Board of Surgery
  • American Board of Thoracic Surgery
  • American Board of Urology
Learn more about ABMS

* 2025 Consumer Perceptions of Medical Specialty Board Certification commissioned by the American Board of Medical Specialties. Total respondents (U.S. adults 18+): 1516. Margin of error: ± 3.54 percentage points.

American Board of Medical Specialties

© 2026 American Board of Medical Specialties® (ABMS®)